Too Young
by juniorvaristy
Summary: It's sophomore year and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite of Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when tradgedy strikes, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much Adam and Kelsey loved each other.
1. Adam

**Title: **Too Young

**Summary: **It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were. 

**Rating: **PG-13 for some language

**Author's Note: **REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot. 

**Warning: **There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Kelsey. 

Adam's POV

***

            I watched Charlie and Linda walking through the courtyard together, hand in hand on the first day of sophomore year. They didn't seem to notice that anymore else but the other was there. They were in love. Sighing, I turned away from them and tried to focus on the swirl of numbers in front of me. _'Okay, Adam, math. Math.__'I thought, forcing myself to concentrate on the homework ridiculously assigned on the first day of class. I'd been sitting outside at a picnic table for an hour already, desperately trying to do homework. My dorm room was too stuffy and quiet so I headed to the courtyard in high hopes of finding concentration. All I got was more distraction than I bargained for. I'd seen Connie and Guy who, contrary to public belief, were still together after five years. Anyway they had been kissing so I turned to the side so I wouldn't stare, which only gave me a view of Scooter and Julie together. I shifted my gaze to the tree only a few feet away from me where I saw Charlie and Linda. _

            "Hey Banksie!" Portman dropped down next to me. 

            "Hi. Where's Fulton?" True, Fulton and Portman were Bash Brothers, but they were also lovers. It was so cute, it made me sick sometimes.

            "Detention," I gave him a look, "No really. He got detention on the first day, I'm not joking! So Banks, do you have a date for the fall ball?" he asked, changing the subject with a smile on his face.

            "No," I muttered.

            "Who are you planning to ask?"

            "No one."

            "Why? You could have any girl _or_ guy you want!" I rolled my eyes and looked back down at my math homework. The team had been trying to get me a significant other for a long time. At one point, they were convinced that I wanted to go out with Charlie. But the truth was, dating took a backseat to hockey in my mind. 

            "What are you going to do about Varsity?" Portman asked. Coach Wilson had offered me a spot on Varsity again. Riley, the old captain, had graduated already and Scooter had been named the new captain. With Scooter in charge, I knew there would be no feud between Varsity and JV, especially since he was dating the JV goalie. The only problem was Cole, who had been left back, but I could deal with him since he was basically outnumbered. If I went onto Varsity, Riley's brother, Wayne (AN: does he have a real name or should I just use Wayne?) would take the empty spot on JV though. 

            "I'm not sure," I shrugged to Portman, "I have until the end of the week though. I'll think about it."

            "Whatever you do, Banksie," Portman clapped a hand onto my shoulder seriously, "We support you all the way."

            "Thanks." I smiled at him and then picked up my books, telling him I'd see him later. I headed out of the courtyard and towards the bus stop. I headed to the nearby park so that I would be able to concentrate on my homework. I didn't need to get into trouble within the first week of school. 

            All the tables were taken by little kids and their parents when I got there except for one, which was occupied with a bunch of kid's stuff. I took a seat at one of the small open spaces and started on the math homework once again. After I'd finished, I slammed the textbook shut, happy that I'd finally gotten through with the stupid assignment. Now all I had to do was history homework. Fun.

            "Dylan, you asshole!" I heard a girl scream as a guy picked her up over his head and threw her into the sprinklers a few feet away. The guy that I assumed was Dylan was laughing hysterically. The girl stormed away from him and to the table I was sitting at. My breath caught in my throat. She _had to be the prettiest girl I'd __ever seen. She sat down, glancing at me and I hurriedly looked at my un-opened History binder. She carefully dried herself off and when I looked up, she was staring at me._

            "H-hey," she started, gulping. I froze. What was I supposed to do? What was I supposed to do?!?!

            "H-h-hi." I responded, shakily. _'Good job, Adam. Now just stay calm and you'll be fine.'_ That was task in itself…

**I know it's kind of dry, but please bear with me! PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	2. Kelsey

**Title: **Too Young

**Summary: **It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were. 

**Rating: **PG-13 for some language

**Author's Note: **REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot. 

**Warning: **There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Kelsey. 

Kelsey

***

            I stormed over to the picnic table where all my stuff was. Dylan was going to get an ass kicking once I was dry and…Oh my God! The boy sitting at the picnic table was definitely the hottest man I'd ever laid my eyes on. I sat there, pretending to dab myself with a paper towel, wanting to open my mouth and say something to him. Hard as I tried, I couldn't bring myself to utter the simple word of greetings, which frustrated me. I prided myself on not being shy. In fact, most of the time, I was quite the opposite. Sometimes, I intimidated people with my outgoing outlook, but for some reason, this particular boy whisked my bravery away. He looked up and my breath almost caught in my throat. He had blue eyes; the bluest of all blue eyes I'd ever seen. I took in a breath. It was now or never.

            "H-hey," I told him, stammering. I mentally slapped myself for that one. _'Great job, Kelsey. Now he thinks you're a nutcase.'_

            "H-h-hi," his deep voice shakily responded. Was it just me or was he just as nervous as I was? No, it was probably just me. 

            "What are y-you doing?" I indicated the binder on the table and the textbook in his lap with a trembling gesture. He blinked twice before realizing that I was talking to him.

            "Oh, homework."

            "On the first day of school? Wow, must be some tough school," I laughed nervously. To my surprise and pleasure, Blue-eyes laughed with me. 

            "I-it's a prep school, what do you expect?" he seemed to relax a little bit now. At least that was more than I could do at the moment.

            "What school?"

            "Eden Hall." Oh I knew that school. My mom had wanted me to go into that school so badly, but I flat-out refused. I wished I hadn't though. If I had known what was going to happen to her…I quickly shook those thoughts out of my head and turned back to Blue-eyes. 

            "That's cool."

            "Not really," he smiled a little, "What school do you go to?"

            "Edina Memorial High. It's public," I explained to him. He nodded. 

            "I live in Edina. If I didn't go to private school, I'd go to Edina Memorial High."

            "Really? That's pretty funny."

            "Yeah," there was an awkward silence before he continued, "So do you come here everyday?" No, I didn't, but he didn't have to know that.

            "Y-yeah. I come and do my homework here usually, but we didn't have much homework since it's the first day so my friends came by and we were playing flag football before Dylan threw me in the sprinklers," I scowled when I said Dylan's name. Blue-eyes laughed and my confidence was boosted up a little more, "Do you?"

            "I come often," he offered.  I nodded. I looked at my watch and practically jumped at what time it was. I had to be getting back home. 

            "I have to go," I told him, "Will you be here tomorrow?"

            He shrugged almost indifferently, "Probably."

            "Okay, I'll see you then." I started to walk away when he called me back.

            "Wait!" I turned around. He smiled almost sheepishly, "I didn't get your name." I smiled discreetly and shrugged, "I didn't give one!" And I walked away. Yes, I was definitely coming back tomorrow.

*~*

            As soon as I stepped foot through the door of my house, I saw a note on the mantle. My dad had left it for me. It read:

_Kelsey:_

_I won't be home for dinner. Can you fend for yourself?_

           "It's too late to do anything about it if I can't," I muttered at the letter. My dad was practically never home for dinner. Ever since the year before, my dad had been running around doing things unknown to me. Whenever he _was home, which was only for maybe an hour at a time, he'd always say, "Business." But how much 'business' could a psychologist do? But I'd already gotten used to being home alone in my huge house. I looked at the calendar. The date was September 5. There was only a week left until the day that I dreaded the most. _

            One year ago, on September 12, my mother passed away. She'd gotten into some freak car accident and died on impact so everyone assured me that she didn't feel anything. But the guilt remained inside of me. We had been arguing on the phone just moments before that dreadful accident. She was on her cell phone and she was saying how the offer to go to Eden Hall still stood. 

_*Flashback*_

_            "Kelsey, honey, I'm just saying that Eden Hall is a great school and you'll be really happy starting high school there. I'm sure you'll meet lots of new friends!" my mom said reasonablely._

_            "No, mom. We've had this conversation before! I'm not going to some stupid prep school just because you want me to. I'm happy going to __Edina_ Memorial High and that's where I want to go! I don't want to be stuck with some preppy jerks for the four years that are supposed to be the best years of my life!" __

_            "But Kelsey, _I_ went there and I was very happy there!"_

_            "Just because you went to Eden Hall doesn't mean that I have to go to Eden Hall! It doesn't work like that, mom! I don't want to go to that stupid boarding school! I don't want to be in classes with those stupid preppy bastards!"_

_            "Kelsey Elizabeth Henderson! You will _not_ speak that way of other people!" _

_            "Mom! I turned 14 two days ago, can you at least speak to me as if I'm 14?"_

_            "If you want to be treated like you are--" There was a horrifying scream and a thud and the line went dead. _

_            "Mom? MOM? MOM!!" I screamed into the phone. I was afraid to put the phone down in the cradle. Afraid that it would lose all connection to my mother. I needed to know what was going on!! _

_            "DAD! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH MOM!!" I screamed throughout the whole house, trying to find my father. He jumped out of his armchair in the den and rushed out the door with me in tow. We got into our other car and drove along the slippery roads in the general direction as to where my mom was coming from. _

_            We saw our care, completely totaled. And we saw the paramedics cover someone in a white sheet. When the police officers came to interrogate us, they told us to help them identify the body. It was my mom._

_            Ever since that night, my dad hasn't been the same. The first week, he mourned with me, he comforted me. But after that, he took off for days at a time. The refrigerator was always stocked so I had something to eat all the time, my dad made sure of that. He dumped food in the fridge, left me a note on the mantle, and took off. Sometimes, he'd be gone for weeks, sometimes for only a day or two. Sometimes I'd come home from school and find him reading the paper in his favorite armchair in the den just like he'd been doing that night of the accident. When he saw me, he'd stand up and fix me something to eat. Then he'd leave. Most times, I would come home to an empty house. And that was the way it was ever since. _

_*End Flashback*_

**This is NOT the tragedy. Please Review!!!**

**Thanks to those who _did review:_**

**WeBuiltThisCityOnRockAndRoll: **haha, I don't like Dylan much either. Thanks for being my first reviewer! I knew I could count on you! =D

**Percussion: **Surprisingly, you're right. Is it really that predictable? Hehe, well anyway thanks for reviewing!

**Luv alwayz,**

**Crazy4nc128**


	3. Adam

**Title: **Too Young

**Summary: **It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were. 

**Rating: **PG-13 for some language

**Author's Note: **REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot. 

**Warning: **There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Kelsey. 

Adam

***

            "Banks, where have you been?" Charlie Conway exclaimed when I sat down for dinner, late. 

            "Sorry I was doing homework," I apologized. In truth, I was doing homework, but the image of the girl at the park kept popping up into my head, plus I was worried about choosing Varsity over JV. That and Dean Buckley coming in with Scooter in tow, announcing I had a new room-mate.

            "You've been doing homework ever since right after school!" Portman pointed out.

            "What are those A-classes doing to you Banksie?" Fulton teased. I rolled my eyes.

            "I wasn't _all homework," But Luis interrupted me._

            "You had someone in there with you, didn't you?"

            "If you call Dean Buckley that, yeah."

            "Whoa! Banks!"

            "That's _not what I meant, Luis," I shook my head, "I have a new room-mate. Scooter." Everyone nodded their approval except Julie who turned red at the mention of Scooter._

            "So cake-eater," Russ called me by my least favorite nick-name, "Have you decided Varsity or JV? You're the only real Varsity made player here." The team nodded, even Charlie, which surprised me. 

            "But you'd have to cope with a new player…most likely Wayne Riley."

            "It's better than having Wayne Riley on Varsity, above us. Besides, how many spots are there on Varsity after you?"

            "None."

            "So go, Adam. Besides, Scooter's captain. It can't be that bad," Connie pointed out. Before I could open my mouth to reply, Linda came over to talk to Charlie, trailed by Luis's cheerleader, Mindy or something like that. A few freshmen girls wandered over taking a certain interest in Averman, Ken, Russ, Goldberg, and Dwayne. Which left me just sitting there, as always. How was it that _Averman __and Goldberg got girls before me? Was it because I was unapproachable? Wait a minute. Since when did I care about dating girls? Never. But the girl at the park…she was beautiful. Sure, she wasn't super-model material, but who wanted a girl like that? Not me. She had something about her, energy. Her energy, the amount she seemed capable of. I buried my head in my hands, confused. I didn't get it. When would I understand girls enough to attract one? Sighing, I got up and left, which caused the oblivious chatter to stop and the attention to shift to me. They were all staring after me with looks of concern boring into my back. Too tired to assure them I was okay, I picked up the pace and crashing into my room, falling onto Scooter's almost empty bed. _

            Boxes were all over the room, filled with Scooter's stuff. Carefully, I got up stepping over the boxes so I could plop onto my bed. I lay there staring at the cream-colored ceiling. Maybe it was white once, I'd never know. My thoughts shifted to hockey, the girl, school. How did they all balance out? I could handle hockey and school, but now this girl popped into my head whenever she felt like it, which didn't seem too fair to me. I got this feeling inside of me every time it happened. This bubbly, preppy (even for me) kind of feeling. The freakiest part was that I…I kind of _liked_ it. _'I have to tell someone. But who??' _I thought to myself frantically. The door creaked open and in strolled Scooter. A junior; a year older. Perfect. 

            "Adam, are you okay? Why are you staring at the wall like that?" Scooter asked as he started opening boxes. I took my eyes away from the cream-colored (maybe once white) walls and got up to help him.

            "Scooter, if I asked you a…question about…girls-"

            "Okay save it," he cut me off, "Just tell me what's going on and I'll try to give you advice. Banksie with a girl! I thought I'd never see the day," he chuckled. I pushed him playfully.

            "Okay, okay," he stopped teasing me, "Shoot." So as we unpacked picture frames, CD's, a stereo, pillows, hockey gear, a Varsity jacket, pendants, and trophies, I talked about Mystery girl. I must have gone on for at least an hour about how great she was when I barely even knew her. When I was finished, we were almost done unpacking and when I looked up at Scooter for his opinion, he was looking at me slightly amused.

            "Adam, you may want to sit down for this." I sat down obediently, confused. He sat down on his bed, facing me.

            He smiled, "Obviously this has never happened before, but I have a feeling this isn't some silly crush. Adam, you are in love." …What?

**I'm sorry it's so short! I wrote it on a whim last night on paper when there was no electricity *tear*. Please review! Thanks to all those who did:**

**Flat*Out*Crazy: **Yeah, me too…but they had to start talking _sometime_, lol. Plus the story's about them really when they're already together so I'm going to have to speed things up a bit so we can get to the really good part, lol.

**WeBuiltThisCityOnRockAndRoll: **Yes, that happens to me all the time. But I got the one about you and the accident. Except it got erased on here. It was awhile ago. Oh and I said I knew I could count on you; I knew you would review my story (weather good or bad lol) because you rock. And thanks for using your new expression on me first, I feel so special!!

**Jess: **ha! Then you'd hate my other story 'Realization', but you might like my _other story 'More Than You'll Ever Know' though that one isn't very popular. _

**Anne: **I would love a man like the way you picture Adam. Too bad I can't attract one like him…ah oh well, I can dream, can't I?

**Opaleye: **Thanks for the review in the first chapter, it got to me after I posted chapter 2 so thanks!

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

**Luv alwayz,**

**Crazy4nc128**


	4. Scooter

**Title: **Too Young

**Summary: **It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were. 

**Rating: **PG-13 for some language

**Author's Note: **REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot. 

**Warning: **There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Kelsey. 

**This will be the only real Scooter/Julie chapter. I just needed something to make him a sort of character. =D**

Scooter

***

            "Scooter!" Julie called from behind me. I turned around, a smile already threatening to split my face.

            "Hey Cat-lady, how was your summer?"

            "As if you wouldn't know," she teased planting a kiss on my cheek. I'd visited my relatives in Maine in the middle of July with my family. As soon as I got there, I dragged my closest cousin, Josh, to go on a search for Julie Gaffney. It took us forever. We must have searched about fifteen different phone books before we found Gaffney listed anywhere. And who knew? All the Gaffney's in Maine lived in the same town! So for one whole day, we visited all the Gaffenys to see if it was Julie. To our great luck, it happened to be the second to last out of 14 Gaffneys that we searched that ended up being Eden Hall's other goalie. Fortunately our hard work received a great reward. Not only did Julie look happy to see me, she hung-out with me a lot. Finally, Josh gave me the courage to ask her out. In truth, he had to drag me up the steps, push the doorbell, and run to hide in the bushes before she opened the door. But she _did say yes! (Note to self: Thank Josh a million times again)_

            After classes, Julie and I walked through the courtyard to get caught up on the week-and-a-half we'd spent away from each other.

            "Well I'm captain of Varsity this year," I announced.

            "Congratulations! I'm guessing you'll be putting an end to the stupid prank war?"

            "Prank war? What prank war?"

            Julie smiled.

            "There _is one thing we're going to want from you, though."_

            "Let me guess, his name is Adam Banks?"

            "How'd you know?"

            "Call it intuition. Actually, Orien and Wilson extended the offer to him this morning."

            "Oh, I see."

            "We won't torture him like we did last year if that's what you're worried about. In fact, we decided that we'll _make_ him go to Varsity if we have to. We can't keep holding our cake-eater back just because we're not good enough."

            "Mr. Highlander (A/N: Is that his last name?)," Dean Buckley approached us, "Miss. Gaffney. How was the first day back?"

            "Good, thank you sir," we said at the same time.

            "Scooter, congratulations on Captain. Now, I finally got the rooming situation sorted out. You'll be rooming with Adam Banks." 

            "Thank you sir." I was relieved it was Banks.

            "I hope this won't arise as a problem. I know he didn't particularly like being with Cole last year and I know you weren't trilled with Mr. Riley."

            "It's perfect, sir. Adam and I get along well."          

            "That's good to know."

~*~

            That night, I walked in to find Adam staring at the wall. He quickly snapped out of the apparent daze he was in when I asked him what was wrong. He got up and started to help me unpack my thousands of boxes.

           "Scooter, if I asked you a…question about…girls-" I cut him off right there. I knew where this was going.

            "Okay save it. Just tell me what's going on and I'll try to give you advice. Banksie with a girl! I thought I'd never see the day!" I teased, laughing lightly. He scowled, mocking anger, and pushed me playfully. It was true though. No one had ever really imagined Adam with a girlfriend. We'd all just sort of gave up on him. Looks like he didn't give up on himself, "Okay, okay," I cut it out, "Shoot." He went on and on about this girl. He told me how incrediblely beautiful she was, how she smiled at him, how her eyes were. He talked about this girl as if she were his Goddess. The way he was babbling, I had it down what his 'problem' was five minutes into his love-sick gibberish. It was actually kind of comical the way he was acting, so out of character. 

            "Adam, you may want to sit down for this." He sat down on his bed, oblivious to what he was feeling, what is _was, _and how many people would die for something like that, even if they didn't really know the person. I sat down on my bed, opposite him. 

            "Obviously," I began, "this has never happened before. But I have a feeling this isn't just some silly crush. Adam, you are in love." He sat there, almost as if he were shocked. If he hadn't been new in the love business, I would have laughed at him. His face was contorted into half understanding, half confusing.

            "What?" he blinked a few times, finally speaking.

            "Love, Adam. You and love are best friends right now." I smiled at him.

            "Scooter…I don't think so."

            "Uh-uh! That's the first step. Denial."

            "It is?"

            "Yeah."

            "Okay, but I haven't even _talked_ to this girl, well maybe I have. But I don't even know her name! What if I screw this up? You know how I am with girls. Wait, how could you? I've never been with a girl before-"

            "Relax! Banksie, you've got to calm down. Breathe in _and out. Don't forget to do both. You're hyperventilating!"_

            "Okay," he exhaled, "I'm calm." No, he wasn't, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get him any calmer. 

            "You need to go with the flow. That's the only thing you have to do. Other than that, relax. Enjoy the feeling while it lasts."

            "Go with the flow?" he whispered weakly.

            "Yes, you know…no plan. Adam, love isn't a hockey play. It's not a game, there _are no rules."_

            "No rules!?" This was a whole new world for Adam Banks.

            "No rules. You play by the rules, you'll screw it up. You make decisions as they come, you win this game. Go it?"

            "I thought there _were_ no rules. How can I play by the rules if there are no rules? And I thought this wasn't a game. If it's not a game, what game do I have to win?" I slapped my hand to my forehead. This was going to take awhile…

**Thanks for the reviews:**

**Anne: **Yeah, but I think Scooter got more than he bargained for! =D

**Jess: **You'll see in the next few chapters why people don't want them or don't think they'll last together.

**WeBuiltThisCityOnRockAndRoll: **Update forever? I don't know…I can try that =D. Obsession is a good thing, don't worry about it =D.

**Kshyne99: **I LOVE ADAM TOO!! Lol well thanks about the dialogue thing. Don't be jealous. I'm going to read your stories now and you'll see you have good dialogue.


	5. Kelsey

**Title: **Too Young

**Summary: **It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were. 

**Rating: **PG-13 for some language

**Author's Note: **REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot. 

**Warning: **There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Kelsey. 

Kelsey

***

            "Kelsey, are you feeling alright?" my friend Dylan, the asshole that threw me into the sprinklers the previous day, asked me at lunch. I practically jumped out of my seat.

            "Dylan! You scared the shit out of me!"

            "Sorry," he laughed, "You spaced. What was I supposed to do?"

            "Nothing," I snapped, "What did you want?"

            "Just to see if you were feeling alright. Geez, you try and be a nice friend and you get bitched at."

            "Sorry," I sighed, "I'm feeling fine. What would be wrong with me?"

            "Kels, you've been acting weird all day," my best friend Nicole shrugged, "Ever since we left the park yesterday, you've been different." The park. Where I met the boy. I resisted the urge to sigh like a twelve year old girl, though Blue-eyes sure made me feel like one. He was such a hottie and he had this look about him, this mysterious sweet look that made me want to grab him and kiss him. And I would have too, but my brain held me back for some reason. I never had that restraint before and it bothered me a lot that Blue-eyes had that effect on me. 

            "KELSEY ELIZABETH HENDERSON!! ARE YOU THERE?!" Nicole yelled in my ear as Dylan tapped me repeatedly on the shoulder. I jumped again, and slapped Dylan's hand away. 

            "What?"

            "You spaced again."

            "Sorry guys. I have to go to the library and…study." Without waiting for a response from my friends, I practically ran out of the cafeteria feeling their stares on my back. It was a weak excuse and I knew that neither Dylan nor Nicole bought it. I never did my homework, I never studied, and I was dumb as a rock. So to hear me start studying must have been a real shock for them. When I got into the library, I plopped into a seat next to some science nerd and stared at the clock, daydreaming about Blue-eyes. _'I wonder what his name is. He looks like a Greg. Maybe an Aaron. I wish I asked for his name yesterday. But then again, I didn't give him mine when he asked me. That was a little harsh. What if he doesn't go back to the park today because I was so rude to him? What if he doesn't talk to me? Oh no, what if he _does_ talk to me and I freeze and can't talk to him?' I started panicking. What was I going to do? The bell rang and I beat it out of the library, trying to leave my worries behind, but they followed me all the way to the park that afternoon. _

            Nervously, I took a seat at a table next to the one Blue-eyes was sitting at the afternoon before. I took a random binder out of my backpack and opened it. For the next ten to fifteen minutes, I sat there staring at the blank page, not even knowing which subject the binder was for or what the assignment was supposed to be. 

            "Having trouble starting your homework?" a deep voice sounded from behind me. I slowly turned around and there, standing in front of me, was Blue-eyes. Preppier than the day before, yes, but still gorgeous all the same. 

            "Um…yeah…I-I just don't want to face the fact that school's started again," I said lamely, laughing in what I hoped to be a confident manner. Blue-eyes smiled at me and dropped his back-pack onto the bench next to me.

            "Room for one more?" he asked me.

            "If you really want to."

            "I want to." He pushed his back-pack aside and took a seat next to me, bending down to take off the roller-blades that I'd just noticed he had on. Slowly, he took his helmet off and threw it with his rollerblades into a heap at his feet. His blond hair was matted down with sweat as he reached his hand up, running a hand through his perfect hair. I almost died when he did that, but I quickly turned to my blank notebook, blushing furiously. We sat in silence for awhile and I watched him start in on his homework. I had no idea what it was, but it looked much harder than what I was doing. Self-cautiously, I reached for my science textbook in attempt to do some homework and give my bitch of a teacher a heart-attack. 

            "What are you doing?" Blue-eyes asked me after a few minutes of companionable silence. I looked up from trying desperately to understand what the textbook was talking about to meet his eyes.

            "I-I-I…science."

            "Oh, cool. Me too." 

            "R-really? D-do you th-think maybe you could…help me?" I asked weakly. He nodded and took my textbook from my lap. For the next half hour, he gave me a lesson on what I supposed we learned in class, not that I would know. By the time he was done, I actually understood it. And I had a feeling I might actually pass the upcoming test. 

            "Get it?"

            "Yeah, I got it. Thanks!"

            "No problem." I vowed that I'd try harder to pay attention in class so that I wouldn't have to disturb Blue-eyes anymore. 

            "What's your name?" I blurted out. He looked up again, smiling slightly.

            "I asked you first. But you never gave me an answer."

            "Kelsey."

            "That's it?"

            "Hey, it's one more than you have." I felt my old confidence coming back to me.

            "Adam. Adam Banks."

            "Kelsey Henderson."

            "It's a pretty name."

            "Yours is too. I mean it's not pretty," I quickly corrected myself, "No, it's not ugly I'm just saying that it's, I mean…"

            "I know what you mean," he smiled, eyes dancing with laughter. I smiled back at him and relaxed. It wasn't so bad. I just needed to regain my old confidence and everything would be okay.

**Thanks for reviews:**

**Anne: **Banks is cute when he's confused about love, but he's _really cute when he's just plain confused. =D_

**Jess: **grrr…another reader that can read my mind!!!! HOW DID YOU KNOW?!?! =D

**Percussion: **Oh yes, Banksie clueless is a beautiful thing…

**WeBuiltThisHouseOnRockAndRoll: **Well yeah, Josh and Scooter…two of a kind. I never see any of those kind of guys either. The guys at my schools always let their dicks do the talking =D. And I'm just as clueless as you are about love so you're not alone. Hey! We should form a club!!

**Please Review!**


	6. Adam

**Title: **Too Young

**Summary: **It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were. 

**Rating: **PG-13 for some language

**Author's Note: **REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot. 

**Warning: **There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Kelsey, Dylan, and Nicole. 

Adam

***

            "So you come to the park after school to do your homework and you're obviously a super-genious," Kelsey stated after we exchanged names, "But what else are you?"

            "What do you mean?" I asked her.

            "Well everyone is something that they're really not. You get me?" 

            I shook my head.

            "Oh come on. You can't be a super smart, rule abiding kid who comes to the park to do his homework _all_ the time, can you?"

            "I've seen smarter people than me. But yeah, this is basically what I do."

            "That's it?"

            "Well, no."

            "Then spill it, preppy."

            "I'm not _that preppy am I?"_

            She looked at me and raised her eyebrows, "Compared to all the kids at my school, you're probably the preppiest person since the Beatles. Or something like that."

            "Okay. Well, I play hockey."

            "Hockey, huh? I don't get it. Isn't it just football on ice?"

            "No!" I started getting defensive. She scooted back a bit.

            "Sorry, didn't mean to offend you."

            "Well what about you? If I'm an egocentric jock, what are you?"

            "I'm nothing."

            "How can you be nothing?"

            "Easy. You don't do anything."

            "_Anything_?"

            "Yeah. I don't play sports for the little assholes our school calls athletes. I don't act with the drama bitches, I don't save the trees, I don't really care."

            "Is that your motto?"

            "I guess."

            "But you _do curse."_

            "And you don't?"

            "Not unless I get really mad." She looked at me with amusement and I turned away under her stare. Maybe she wouldn't like me now that she knew I didn't curse. I just didn't find it very…nice. I didn't have anything against people who _did curse; Charlie cursed all the time as a matter of fact. But I didn't curse. _

            "That's interesting." She smiled at me and I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. 

            "Well, thanks. I think. So you don't like jocks much?"

            "That's not true. My friend Dylan's a jock. Though he's also a dumbass so that's not saying much. But I like you and  you're a jock." 

            I blushed.

            "Oh come on! A good looking guy like you? I bet you have those cheerleaders trailing you all over the place. I bet there's already an Adam Banks fan club and I'm too late to be the president of it."

            "You can be president," I blushed again, "And I don't have cheerleaders trailing me."

            "You probably have normal girls drooling over you."

            "I probably don't."

            "You do."

            "How would you know?"

            "I can tell. I'm a girl, remember?" I nodded and turned back, tyring to focus on my homework. But it didn't work. Every few seconds, I would subconsicously snap my head up to see what Kesley was doing. I wasn't sure if Kelsey was actually working or drawing pictures. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I felt like I needed to make conversation with her.

            "So you've never even been to a hockey game?" I asked her, not able to think of any other topic of conversation.

            She shook her head, "Nope. Sorry. I was never motivated, though I saw a really hot hockey player when I was flipping channels one day a few years ago. It was the Junior Goodwill Games, I think. I'm not sure what team it was, but they were playing a team in black and it was the end. They were dressed in white. I went back quickly, hoping I'd catch more glimpses of him. I caught him a few times. Like, at the end of the game…I don't know what they were doing but these players would come onto the ice and shoot at the opposite goalie. And he came out and I was watching him. I think he made the goal. I don't really remember much technicalities from the game. I turned it off after that. He was really hot. I still remember his number."

            "His number?"

            "His jersey number."

            "Oh, what was it?" It was us at the Junior Goodwill Games that she saw. It could have possibly been me since I was out there shooting at the Iceland goalie too. I felt my heart pounding in my chest and the blood rushing to my ears so much that I could hear it. 

            "Number 9 or something." My heart sank. Nine was Jesse Hall's number. She was looking at him not me.

            "No it wasn't," Kelsey quickly corrected herself, "Sorry it had a nine in it, but there were two numbers. Oh, now I remember! It was number 99!" That was me. 

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Angel of Light3: **Awww, I have a fan!! I really have a fan!! Whoo hoo!!! Well, send your work my way anytime you want to! I can't wait to read your stuff!

**Xomegsxo: Thanks! Hmmm well I think Adam's cute doing _anything he does. But especially when he smiles. _**

**Plainjane: Hahahaha! When the guys I know are clueless, I find it just plain dumb. Except for one…but that's because he has a baby face. But that's besides the point. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Kshyne99: Yes, good things are definitely bound to happen…but I _did write this for a reason. I'm getting there. You know, it always takes me FOREVER just to get to the point of the story. Ah, go figure. It _is_ me writing here. =D_**

**Chelsea****: I'm too lazy to write out the other one, lol. Robocop works for me…whatever you want. But the lame-wads is awesome too…totally describes me! =D**

**Jess: Just you wait until she meets the Ducks. Trust me, sparks will fly. =D**

**Anne: Same here. In fact, spacing is what I do best, hehe.**

**Sorry for the long wait…school started and I'm a freshman in high school and me and work don't go well together, lol. On top of that, I also have swim team for the first quarter and a half of school. Sooooo…yeah. I'll try my best to write a lot during study hall though. I promise. **

**Love alwayz,**

**Melody**


	7. Guy

**Title: **Too Young

**Summary: **It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were. 

**Rating: **PG-13 for some language

**Author's Note: **REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot. 

**Warning: **There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Kelsey, Dylan, and Nicole. 

Guy

***

            Ever since the JV-Varsity showdown freshmen year, Orien had been pretty lenient with us. Though he trained us hard, we still had a few practices a week where he'd play games with us. We actually played a game of Round-up one time. Everyone seemed to be really happy, especially now that there wasn't a real JV/Varsity feud. Adam seemed relatively content as well. He'd decided that he'd switch to Varsity after the first game. Of course, it took a little persuading from us. On the first Friday night of the school year, we were playing a game against the Blake Bears again and Coach was giving us the pep talk before the whistle. Banks was staring into the stands. Charlie and I exchanged glances.

            "Uh…Banks?" Charlie tapped him on the shoulder.

            "What?!" he snapped out of his daze.

            "Look we already told you," I sighed, "Don't worry about the scouts. You're amazing as it is!" He looked confused. This was new. Charlie shook his head and patted him on the back. We got out onto the ice and, of course, Banks was starting. As we did a warm-up lap around the rink, Adam must've caught someone's eye because he smiled and waved. Charlie looked up into the stands, trying to follow his gaze and looked a bit shocked when he saw what Adam was looking at. I looked into the stands and there was a _girl_ waving and smiling at Adam. It wasn't that Banks wasn't good looking because he had a lot of girls chasing after him. It was just that he didn't come on as the type who would actively invite girls to go watch him play hockey. I don't remember him ever having a girlfriend. Ever. 

            We won the game by one point, 11-10. It was like what had happened the first time we played the Bears except this time, Charlie didn't dive to make that final goal and our defense really shaped up. After Orien congratulated us and told us how proud o us he was, we started badgering Adam. Turns out Charlie and I weren't the only ones who noticed he had a girl in the stands. 

            "So who was that, Banksie?" Fulton asked, slapping our star center on the back.

            "What are you talking about?" he nonchantly threw his stick into the open locker. 

            "Oh come on!" Connie exclaimed, "Don't tell me you don't know who we're talking about! Who was that girl you were intently having telepathic conversations with?!" 

            Banksie rolled his eyes, "Just a girl that I met at the park. She said she'd never been to a hockey game before so I invited her. It's not big deal guys." There were a whistles and cat-calls at his last comment, mostly from Averman and Russ. Adam shook his head and retreated out the door. I followed him out since I'd already finished. Outside, a girl with auburn colored hair was waiting for him. The girl from the stands. 

            "Hey," he smiled at her, "Did you like the game or did you think it was football on ice?"

            She laughed, "I didn't understand it much. But it was pretty exciting even though I didn't get the terms. Man, the guy sitting behind me was being a total asshole to you guys. He kept on laughing every time you screwed up and he didn't clap for you guys when you made a goal. He was wearing the Eden Hall letter jacket though."

            "Cole," Adam told her simply, "He's part of Varsity. As of right now, he may be the only part of Varsity that doesn't like us too much. The rest of them were decent, right?"

            "Yeah. You played great though! You know, you're the same number as the guy I was telling you about yesterday."

            I heard Adam hesitate for a minute, "Yeah," he finally responded. 

            "So do you want to hang-out or something?" she asked him after a little pause. I smiled to myself, willing him to say yes. All he had to do was say yes. He didn't say anything for a minute and I started to get edgy. If he didn't open his mouth soon, I'd have to jump in and talk for him. 

            "Hey Banksie," Charlie expertly came to his rescue, though he had no idea that he had. Adam looked up, blushing furiously.

            "Hey Charlie, hey Guy."

            "Sorry, Banksie forgets his manners sometimes. I'm Charlie Conway, captain of the team." He practically batted his eyelashes at the girl. Adam playfully shoved him out of the way.

            "Aww, Adam is a perfect gentleman…not that I'd know or anything," the girl laughed, "So you're the prick captain of the team?" she asked him.

            "Prick?"

            "Sorry. It's a stereotype. I was joking…you know. Hahaha?" 

            Charlie nodded, confused. Adam chose this time to butt in. Very smart on his part.

            "Guys, this is Kelsey Henderson. Kelsey, this is Guy Germaine and you already know Charlie Conway."

          "Very nice to meet you," she smiled before turned back to Banks, "So do you want to go and hang-out? Dylan says we need more people to play touch football."

            "At this hour?" Adam asked unbelievingly, "Besides…I don't play football."

            "Well you play football on ice, don't you?" she teased. Adam rolled his eyes. I pushed him forward towards her, practically demanding that he go. It was about time Banksie got some girl action. Reluctantly, he nodded and let himself be dragged away by Kelsey. I laughed lightly, turning back to Charlie who was not as joyous as I was about Banksie getting a girl. 

            "What?" I asked him, confused.

            "You just let him go like that?" he demanded.

            "Yeah…come on Charlie. He's finally got a girl!"

            "So? It's _that girl."_

            "What's wrong with that girl? You already have a girlfriend if you don't remember that, Charlie!" 

            "It's just that…oh never mind." He stalked away. I watched him leave, half angry, half upset. Angry because Charlie couldn't accept the fact that, for once in his life, it was someone else's turn to have the glory. Upset because Charlie was mad at me. It didn't make any sense to me. And I didn't try to make sense out of it.

**Thanks for the great reviews:**

**Jess: **Aww thanks so much! Yeah, I've pretty much come to terms with the workload, but that's okay. I'm having a lot of fun so far. Thanks for giving me the heads up!

**Angel of Light3: **Oh come on, I'm pretty sure there are better cliffys out there than that one! Lol well thanks for reviewing! 

**Anne: **Yeah, well sometimes love blinds people. *sigh* oh well, thanks!

**Chelsea****: hahahahahahahahaha!!! I love your review!! Yeah well while you were watching those movies over the summer, I read so many fanfics I'm getting confused between fanfic life and real life lol. **

**Percussion: **Thanks for reading all my stories. I know I'm really hard to put up with sometimes lol. 


	8. Charlie

**Title: **Too Young

**Summary: **It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were. 

**Rating: **PG-13 for some language

**Author's Note: **REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot. 

**Warning: **There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Kelsey, Dylan, and Nicole. 

Charlie

***

            I felt bad for snapping at Guy, but I couldn't help it. That Kelsey girl was really pissing me off. I remembered everything that had happened years ago. I had a crush on Kelsey Henderson in middle school. But Kelsey Henderson was the richest, prettiest, and most wanted girl in the whole town. And I was just me. Charlie Conway. Nothing ever really happened between us, but seeing Banks with her brought back a lot of old feelings. Feelings of heartbreak and depression. It wasn't Banksie's fault at all, but the jealousy was there. Kelsey Henderson was still the prettiest girl I'd ever seen (don't tell Linda I said that), but she also turned into the bitchiest and the loudest girl too. And I just didn't think that she and Adam would _ever_ last. I didn't want to see the cake-eater hurt. 

            Sure enough, a week later, Banksie strolled into the Fall Ball with Kelsey hanging onto his arm. Blood boiled through my veins just at the sight of her sweet face, smiling at Adam. Linda put her hand gently on my shoulder.

            "Charlie?" I jumped.

            "Linda! Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," I apologized.

            "It's okay. Wow, did you see Adam with that girl over there?" 

            "Yeah, let's um…go get something to eat," I tried to steer the topic of conversation over to something else.

            "Wait, I want to say hi and meet this girl. They're so cute together!"

            "No Linda, you really don't want to."

            "Why not?" She was already heading over. I sighed in frustration and reluctantly followed her over there as well. 

            "Hi Adam," Linda greeted my team-mate with all smiles.

            "Hey Linda. This is Kelsey Henderson," he turned to the rat (that was my name for her), "Kelsey, this is Linda, Charlie's girlfriend. You remember Charlie right?"

            "Oh right," Kelsey's face registered in recognition, "the captain. Nice to meet you." Somehow, I got the message that she remembered me from middle school too. I wasn't exactly nice to her after I fell out of my crush.

            "So are you into hockey too?" Linda asked, smiling still.

            "Aww, fuck no. I just went to the game the other night to pretend that I was. Adam sorely regretted it, huh Banksie?" Banksie? Since when did she have the right to call him Banksie?

            "Don't remind me," Banks rolled his eyes at her playfully. Linda nodded slowly and excused herself quickly, rushing back to me.

            "Did you hear her curse? She really has no manners!" I could tell that Linda didn't like her much either. 

            "Yeah well there's not much we can do about who Banksie goes out with."          

            "Well it won't matter because they're definitely not going to be going out very long. They totally clash. What if she hurts Adam?"

            "She'll have to face us. But I won't be able to resist the 'I told you so' speech."

            "Charlie Conway, you wouldn't!"

            "I would." And it was true. I was going to have a long talk with our #99 skater and tell him what a mistake he was making. I knew Kelsey from personal experience and our cake-eater would be in for a brutal smack of reality. I did feel badly for having to be the one to tell him the truth, but I couldn't let him get hurt by this bitch. They were total opposites and they were definitely not meant to be. 

            The days came and went and by the end of the next week, I still hadn't gotten around to talking with Banks yet. I had, however, learned that not many of the other Ducks liked Kelsey much either.

            "She's a nice girl," Portman shrugged, "But she's not Adam's type."  

            "Yeah," Fulton agreed.

            Russ nodded, "She's too loud, not intellectual enough, and she's not a prep."

            "Hey that sounds like the perfect girl for Luis!" Averman teased. 

            Luis rolled his eyes and shook his head, "She's just not his type. That's all I have to say. She's very nice though." 

            "No she's not," I argued on that part, "She's anything but nice."

            Connie sighed, "Charlie just because you had a bad past with her doesn't mean she's a total bitch on wheels. She's just not right for Adam. Their relationship will have been over before it really starts. Stop trying to ruin his life."

            "I'm not trying to ruin his life! What the hell are you on, Connie?!"

            "Hey, I'm not the one judging someone who I haven't seen in years! And as I recall, you weren't the perfect gentleman to her either at the end of 8th grade!" 

            "She started it!" 

            "STOP IT!" Guy stood and interrupted both of us, "Just leave it alone, okay guys?" Everyone nodded in agreement. There was no need to get each other aggravated over it. But I wasn't going to leave it alone. I just couldn't. 

**Thanks for the reviews:**

**Adriana: **Well I wasn't going to make it that way, but after you suggested it, I liked it a lot. Thanks!

**Flat*Out*Crazy: **Yeah Charlie's pretty dumb in this story. You're going to hate him in the chapters to come. He doeesn't have much a sense of humor either…nope. 

**Jess: **Who do you think should be the first to actually listen to Adam about his feelings: Luis or Guy?

**Chelsea****: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Your review is hilarious! But yeah, I admit Charlie is being a real prick. =D**

**Please review!**


	9. Adam

**Title: **Too Young

**Summary: **It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were. 

**Rating: **PG-13 for some language

**Author's Note: **REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot. 

**Warning: **There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Kelsey, Dylan, and Nicole. 

Adam

***

            "Nervous much?" Portman asked me, slapping my back playfully. I kept straightening and re-straightening my tie in front of the mirror multiple times. Every few minutes, I'd turn around to ask Portman if my hair was alright. 

            "Just a little. Is my hair okay?" I asked him. 

            He just laughed. 

            "Portman!" I exclaimed in exasperation. I'd already forgotten _why exactly I'd asked _him_ to come and wait for Kelsey with me. _

            "Relax," he chuckled, "Your hair is fine. If you put anymore gel in it, it would be rock hard. Come on, man! You need to chill out. First of all, she's not due here for another hour. Second of all, you asked her to the Fall Ball a few weeks ago and everything went just fine. Why is asking her to the Opera any different?" 

            I rolled my eyes, "Portman, there's a difference between a school dance and an opera with your parents."

            "Well you already asked her and she already said yes. So what's the big deal?"

            "What if my parents hate her? What if my brother does something stupid to provoke her or something? What if she hates my family? What if she gets bored? What if-"

            "ADAM!" Portman shouted over my rambling. 

            "What?" 

            "Stop asking questions and just go with the flow. Honestly, man, I never thought I'd see you so…uptight before."

            "Portman, none of the Ducks like her. Why would it be any different with my parents?" I asked him plainly.

            He feigned confusion, "What are you talking about? The Ducks _love her! Can't you see the love radiating from the group every time you bring her with us to an outing?!"_

            I rolled my eyes, "Quit the lying! I've only introduced her to them once and that was at the fall ball. Linda looked disgusted with her and Charlie had that look on his face again. You know, that look that says 'I want to kill her' written all over it. Why don't they like her, Portman?" 

            Portman didn't say anything for a long while. He sat down, staring at the floor before finally speaking up, "It's just…well, I don't want to be the one to tell you this…"

            "Spill it."

            "Everyone just thinks that you and her aren't compatible."

            "WHAT?!"

            Portman held up his hands in defense, "Hey, hey, hey. That doesn't mean we don't support you and all, it just means that you guys were very unlikely to go out. And when you did, it was weird. So surprise us, Banks, show us your relationship will last." I nodded, but didn't say anything. Yeah, I'd show them. Somehow, I had a feeling that Charlie was the only one that had a real problem with Kelsey and I being together, which ended up making me more aggravated than anything else. It was probably the fact that he was _supposed to be my best friend. It might have been the fact that best friends _supported_ best friends no matter what.  _

            "Don't let it ruin your night, Adam," Portman spoke up.

            "I won't." We sat around making small talk for awhile. Portman told me about how he and Fulton had an ever-growing relationship. I told him about how amazing Kelsey made me feel whenever I was around her. I told him about how entrancing her eyes were every time I was talking to her. 

            "It's like…looking into the eyes of faith and hope, knowing that everything will be okay no matter what because you know that she will always be there. She has this aura about her that radiates out to every person around her. Yeah, I know she curses and all that stuff, but she's such a good person at heart. If I'm down, she'll lift me back up."

            "You know this from only a month of being together?"

            I nodded.

            "You must love her, huh?"

            I paused and thought about it, "Yeah. I really do." Portman and I sat for a minute in companionable silence. I was happy because at the very least, Portman knew where I was coming from. He loved Fulton, didn't he? Scooter understood me too. I was surprised he didn't kick me out of the room every night. I don't know how many times I've told him how amazing Kelsey was, but he didn't seem to mind at all. 

            The doorbell rang throughout the house. I looked at my clock nervously. It couldn't be Kelsey! It was only 6:15. She wasn't supposed to be here until seven! Portman looked out the window and told me to relax; it wasn't the car she had described to me. But if it wasn't her, who was it? I shrugged, too tired to care. I heard my mother answer the door and speak to the person. It definitely wasn't my dad because if it was, he'd be up in his room getting ready. My mom was doing her make-up and my brother was in the shower. His girlfriend would be coming as well. 

            "Adam," my mother knocked, "There's someone here to see you." 

            I got up and opened the door. It was Charlie.

            "Hi," he said shifting uncomfortably. 

            "Hi." I let him in and he nodded at Portman. My mom left the room. 

            "What's everyone getting so dressed up for?" Charlie asked, plopping onto my bed. 

            "We're going to an opera tonight. I don't even know what opera, but it's an annual thing and my mom's big on these family traditions."

            "Oh," he paused, looking at me, "Why do you look so nervous?"

            "Kelsey's coming with us. Every year, when we do the opera thing, we're supposed to bring our girlfriends, but I never had one so Danny Larson came with me every year."

            "Oh," Charlie's face clouded over when he heard Kelsey's name, but he asked instead, "You're still friends with Danny Larson?"

            I nodded, "Yeah. But he couldn't come last year because he had mono that week. When I told him I had a real date this year, he was so excited that he forgot he wouldn't be able to sit next to the Hendrix's daughter."

            "Your dad's co-worker right?" Portman chimed in for the first time. 

            I nodded.

            "Listen Adam…can I say something?" Charlie asked, sitting up. I tensed. Uh-oh.

            "Um…yeah."

            "Well, you see, the whole thing with you and Kelsey. It's just kind of weird."

            I nodded. Well at least it was nothing new. Yet.

            "Everyone's learned to accept it and stuff and you know I'd be the last person to tell you what to do," he continued, "But I really don't think you should be going out." 

            I willed myself to stay calm, "And why not?"

            "She's a bitch!" he blurted out. All efforts to remain civil failed.

            "WHAT?!"

            "I'm sorry! It's just the truth! She's not good enough for you, Banks! Can't you see?"

            "Last time I checked Charlie, you had a girlfriend!"

            "It's not about that!"

            "Then you tell me what the hell it's about!"

            "YOU! You're way too good for that whore and you know it! You could get with anyone. _Anyone that you could possibly want and you pick Kelsey Henderson."_

            "Excuse me, but I _do_ believe that it's MY choice on whom I decided to date and even though you are _supposedly my best friend, what you say doesn't make a difference to me! I don't give a flying fuck about what you think!" I heard Portman gasp slightly. Yeah, I never cursed; only when I was supremely pissed off. And right about then, I could have killed Charlie._

            "Adam, don't you get it? She's going to play you once, twice, and three times. And every time you're going to go crawling back to her because you think you love her! Newsflash: you don't!" 

            "What has she ever done to you?!"

            "Everything,  okay? Everything. I had a fucking crush on her in middle school and she dumped her preppy ass excuses on me and became the bitchiest girl I'd ever met!" I understood now. He wasn't really concerned about me in the first place; he was concerned about himself. I don't know which one made me madder, but they both got me more enraged than ever.

            "So that's how it is, huh? Everything's about you! Every single damn thing in my life revolves around you? Is that how it's supposed to be? Charlie, can't you, just for one second, _pretend_ that you care and be happy for me?! Can't you just accept the fact that, for once in my life, I'm happy? Can't you accept the fact that for once, it's not _you creating the happiness in my life?! Look, Charlie, you're a very good friend of mine and your opinion matters to me. But for once, I have my own opinion. I love Kelsey and nothing you say can change that. If you can't accept that, than I'll know." _

            "Know what?"

            "Who my true friends are." Charlie stared at me, dumbstruck. His features paled visibly before he rose from my bed and headed towards the door. Portman opened it for him, patting him lightly on the shoulder. Numbly, he left my room. I closed the door quickly, leaning against it. Never had I felt so small yet so big. Anyone who knew anything knew for a fact that no one _ever yelled at Charlie Conway and got away without having the all the Ducks against them for all eternity. Hopefully, that wouldn't be the case this time. It wasn't that I resented the Ducks or anything, but they formed this huge clique that no one new would ever fit into. I knew what it felt like to be there enemies, heck, I'd felt it twice in my life already. But I never knew what it felt like to be all the way in. Sure, Charlie had befriended me and became one of my best friends; one of my only friends, but there was still something there that formed a barricade preventing me from being a "true Duck". I respected Charlie for having the determination that he did to keep the Ducks together forever, but he had to know when to stop. I'd noticed, looking in from the outside with I was on Varsity, that even though the Ducks were all friends and stuff, they were afraid of Charlie just as much as they were afraid of Orien. They were afraid that if they stepped a toe out of line, Charlie would haul all the Ducks and bail on that one lone player. I knew what that felt like. _

            "Don't let him get to you," Portman spoke up finally. 

            "I'm trying," I told him tiredly, "I'm really trying. I just don't know how much of it is actually working." 

            "You love her. Don't doubt that just because Charlie's jealous." 

            "Do you really mean that?"

            Portman nodded, "Just because Charlie thinks he has us under his spell, he doesn't. After last year, I think most of us realized that we need to have our own opinions. At least me and Fulton did."

            "But what about the ones that didn't?" I asked him, feeling like a five-year-old.

            Portman shrugged, "They'll come around when Captain Prick does."

            I chuckled softly thinking about the first time I introduced Kelsey to the Ducks. She'd called Charlie a prick. 

            "Kelsey was right," Portman said, laughing, "He _can_ be a prick. I don't know why no one has noticed it. I come back from Chicago after a summer of being away and he's a whole different person."

            "Yeah."

            "Hey Adam?" Portman asked me.

            "Yeah?"

            "Don't let it ruin your night." 

            I wouldn't. 

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Skarlett: **Thank you!!! Yes, it _is_ nice to see some straight Adam though I admit it is harder for me to write for some strange reason.

**Anne918: **Oh boy…if you liked that gossip session, wait until the next one. That should be in two chapters. I think.

**Jess: **Yes she does. Well, you know now that it's Portman, but I'm taking your suggestions into consideration…there will be one more. It'll be either Guy or Luis. I'll see.

**Chelsea****: I don't like Linda either. Yes, well…Charlie wasn't exactly nice in this chapter either. AHH!! I saw an old movie that Corey Haim did in health. AHHHH!!!**

**Please review!!**


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